Yami Gautam says, 'It is tiring to constantly prove yourself'

There is a duality in the way male and female stars are treated in the industry which expects women to constantly prove their worth, says Yami Gautam. The actor, who made her debut with Shoojit Sircar's "Vicky Donor" and most recently featured in the blockbuster "Uri-The Surgical Strike", said despite her performance being praised, she could not escape being stereotyped, something that did not happen to her male co-stars.

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"My first film had a performance-oriented role and people did notice that. But (there's) stereotype because it was not a conventional role from an actress' point of view. That's where an actress and an actor differ. 'Oh, she has looked a certain way' so only certain type of roles were coming my way. I realised that it's very important to keep working on yourself and reinventing yourself in some way or the other to get diverse roles," Yami said in a group interview here.

The 30-year-old star said she found it absurd that she had to project her "strong girl" role in "Uri". "'Kaabil' had a very sensitive performance, even in 'Uri', yes, it was about Army and about that entire operation but... I feel very weird when you have to project that I play a strong girl. Why? It doesn't happen with any actor, they don't have to say 'I am playing a strong guy'.

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"You really have to work hard and people like me have to put in a lot of effort to keep proving themselves which can be tiring. But that's okay, that's the job." Yami said despite not having a "certain surname" or "a Godfather" in the industry, she has learnt to navigate her way. "I don't have a social network here, where you can lean on someone when it comes to your professional circle. There's nothing wrong in it but I'm saying it as a matter of fact. I am what I am, there's a certain price to it but I'm fine."

Yami, who stars opposite Ayushmann Khurrana, credited director Amar Kaushik and producer Dinesh Vijan, for recognising her talent and casting her in "Bala". "I am glad that people like Dinesh, Amar, had faith in my talent and performance. When you watch the film, you'll realise that my name wouldn't instantly come to your head seeing what you'll see... It's only a matter of time, your one Friday takes you to another, where people push you in a certain role which is absolutely new. It can take a while but it'll happen. I'm in no hurry," she added. 

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The film is scheduled to release on November 7.

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